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New to PC gaming? Start here!

Did you get (or buy) a new gaming PC for Christmas? Good for you!

If you’re new to things, we thought we’d give you a little guidance.

Gaming platforms

You’re pretty spoiled for choice in terms of platforms to game from. Here’s a quick summary of what’s now at your fingertips:

  • Steam: Valve’s gaming platform is by far the most popular, and for good reason — it arguably presents the largest library of games at the cheapest prices. You can download Steam here.
  • Origin: Origin is Electronic Arts’ gaming service. In addition to EA titles like Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1, you’ll also be able to grab a number of other AAA titles here. Download Origin here.
  • Uplay: Similarly, Uplay is Ubisoft’s gaming service. In addition to EA titles like Watch Dogs 2 and Steep, you’ll also be able to grab a number of other AAA titles here. Download Uplay here.
  • GOG: Good Old Gaming, as you might expect, focuses on older, remastered titles, but also features content like The Witcher 3: Wild HuntHead to gog.com for more.
  • GreenManGaming: The second-largest platform in the market, GreenManGaming also sells Steam keys — but sometimes, at a cheaper cost than on Steam itself. Head to greenmangaming.com for more.
  • Itch.io: This service is full of indie titles of every sort, and games are available on a pay what you’d like system. Head to itch.io for more.

Virtual reality

Provided you’ve the rig that can support it, PC is perhaps the easiest way to get into virtual reality (VR).

Here are the different headsets available:

For more on VR, head here.

Games

While most huge titles are cross platform across PC, Xbox One and PS4, the PC has a number of amazing exclusives that you should try out. In fact, we’ve just written about it — check out 2016’s best PC-exclusive titles here.

Enjoy!


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.